Would Works @ Stanford d.school
Would Works won a generous scholarship to attend an intensive workshop called Designing for Social Systems (DSS) at Stanford's d.school this month!
We are one of ten teams of impactful organizations from around the country who are taking a deep dive into human-centered, equity driven design thinking to tackle a particular problem or question in our work.
For our project, we will be working with the community of advocates, service providers, and residents in Skid Row to redesign the waiting experience at the Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot.
The Would Works DDS team includes (from top left clockwise) Would Works Director, Lee Buchanan, Program Director Michele Liu, Workshop Leader Krys Shelley, Jarvis Emerson, Skid Row Community Refresh Spot Project Coordinator at Social Model Recovery Systems, and Designer Eduardo Cortez from office42 architecture.
Check back for updates as we move into prototyping and co-designing phases in the coming weeks!
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Great News -- Here's To A New Chapter for Would Works!
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With Heavy Hearts, We Must Announce The Closure of WW at the End of 2025
After 13 years, Would Works has made the difficult decision to sunset operations at the end of 2025. Over the past year and a half, we have worked to position Would Works for long-term success and to better serve our unhoused community in Los Angeles. Despite our best efforts, it has become clear that the current climate is not in our favor.
A New Chapter: Beginner Builders Youth Pilot Program
On August 23, 2025, Would Works officially kicked off our reimagined paid job training program in woodworking for youth experiencing homelessness, in partnership with My Friend's Place, and funding support from Snap Foundation, Cedar-Sinai Grantmaking, and the Arlene and Michael Rosenfeld Foundation.